ODFW release – SALEM, Ore.—The Fish and Wildlife Commission will host a hybrid meeting (in person but with remote testimony option) on Friday, June 17 at ODFW HQ in Salem, 4034 Fairview Industrial Drive SE. The meeting begins at 8 a.m. and will be livestreamed over ODFW’s YouTube channel. See the agenda and view the meeting here https://www.dfw.state.or.us/agency/commission/minutes/22/06_June/index.asp To testify on an agenda item remotely (via Zoom), register at least 48 hours in advance (by Wednesday, June 15 at 8 a.m.) at this link https://www.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_dkV8hoiMQEGxQDw9gXTJYQ To testify in-person, sign up on the day of the meeting at ODFW HQ. Sign- up sheets are available outside the Commission room. Comments can also be emailed to odfw.commission@odfw.oregon.gov A public forum for people to comment on topics not on the agenda is scheduled for Friday morning after the Director’s report. To participate in the public forum, contact the ODFW Director’s office at (503) 947-6044 or email ODFW.Commission@odfw.oregon.gov by Wednesday, June 15 at 8 a.m. (48 hours prior to the meeting). The following topics are on the Commission’s agenda for June 17: 2023-25 ODFW budget: The Commission will consider the agency’s requested budget for 2023-25. ODFW’s proposed budget does not include any specific fee increases for recreational hunting or fishing licenses, meaning the agency will have gone almost a full decade without asking for an additional fee increase. In developing the requested budget, the agency will be asking for new investments in high priority areas including additional positions related to climate resiliency, water planning and flow restoration, habitat protection, fish research and restoration, as well as for deferred maintenance, fish passage and other programs. Once a budget is approved by the Commission, it goes to the Governor who will submit a state budget for the Legislature to consider during the 2023 session. Cooperative Management Agreement with Coquille Indian Tribe: ODFW and the Coquille Indian Tribe are proposing a voluntary cooperative partnership to collaborate, share resources and work as partners to develop and implement plans to protect, restore, and enhance fish and wildlife populations and their habitat within a five county area of southwest Oregon (Coos, Curry, Douglas, Lane, and Jackson counties, including the associated nearshore marine areas), an area defined as the Tribe’s “service area” by the federal government. The agreement will advance the government-to-government relationship between the State of Oregon and the Coquille Indian Tribe, enhancing tribal sovereignty and giving the tribe a stronger voice in protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife, and their habitats. The agreement also sets up a framework under which Coquille tribal members will participate in subsistence and ceremonial harvest of fish and wildlife resources that is licensed and managed by the tribal government in partnership with ODFW and the Oregon State Police. Within these counties, enrolled members of the Coquille Indian Tribe could participate in hunting, fishing, shellfishing, and trapping licensed by the Coquille Indian Tribe. Annual harvest limits and areas for harvest by tribal members would be set by mutual consent between the tribe and ODFW. Commercial coastal pelagic species (CPS) regulations July 22-June 2023: The Commission will consider adoption of federal harvest specifications and management measures that continue closure of the directed Pacific sardine fishery for the next year due to depressed stock status while providing for very low harvest allowances in other fishing sectors across West Coast. The Commission will also consider revisions to Oregon Administrative Rules to clarify purse seine net fishing gear allowed in the market squid fishery with practical net construction considerations. Restoration & Enhancement (R&E) projects: Consider funding for six R&E projects recommended by the R&E board. Projects for this funding cycle include an analysis of six ODFW hatcheries for their resiliency to climate change, support for a smolt acclimation project on the Ochoco Preserve, and removal of invasive fish in several Oregon lakes. Oregon Conservation and Recreation Fund (OCRF) projects: Consider funding of several projects supported by the OCRF Advisory Committee from the 2021/2022 competitive granting cycle, which closed February 2022. These projects focus on a wide range of topics that implement the Oregon Conservation Strategy and connect people with the outdoors. Access & Habitat (A&H) projects: Consider funding of ten projects supported by the A&H board that provide public hunting access to private land, including renewal of Bentz, Jenkins, Otley, Lawen, Kueny Ranch, Glass Hill, Green Diamond Resource Company in northeast Oregon, M.R. King Ranches, and Troy Ranches access areas.
